Projects at Davis-Monthan, Fort Huachuca and Marana included in appropriations bill
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today voted with a strong bipartisan majority in the House to approve a fiscal 2011 military construction appropriations bill that includes $70.4 million for seven projects in Southern Arizona.
“We have key military installations in Southeastern Arizona that are at the forefront of our nation’s defense,” said Giffords, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “It is crucial that these facilities be maintained and improved so they can fulfill their critical missions.”
The House voted 411-to-6 to approve the legislation, which now will be sent to the Senate.
The largest single Southern Arizona item in the bill is $25 million for a hanger facility at the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. The facility will allow the Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group to perform its work on larger aircraft year-round without impacts from high temperatures, lightening or wind.
Another large project is $11 million for a new facility at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista to house operations for the Arizona Air National Guard’s 214th Reconnaissance Group. The unit currently flies the Predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Predator usually serves in a reconnaissance role and the Reaper version of the Predator is equipped with two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
The bill also includes money for three new facilities at D-M for expansion of the Combat Search and Rescue Center of Excellence campus and expansion of another mission facility for unmanned vehicle operations. There also is money for a parachute training and operations building at the Special Operations Command facility in Marana.
The seven projects that will be funded in Southern Arizona are:
- Marana Parachute Training Facility: $6.25 million – To build a 19,000-square-foot Special Operations Command parachute training and operations facility. The building will support ongoing operations and international commitments for jump training. It will include operational planning spaces, locker and storage facilities, equipment space and parachute packing areas.
- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Hangar: $25 million – To build a modern, high-bay maintenance hangar for the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group. Would be used to support maintenance, repair and inspection for planned Air Force regeneration and reclamation of C-130, KC-135 and P-3 aircraft to support foreign military sales and returning aircraft to Department of Defense services and other federal and state agencies. This project will provide maintenance space with clearance height of 52 feet to house two KC-135 aircraft.
- Davis-Monthan HC-130 aircraft ground equipment maintenance facility: $4.6 million – Will provide space to perform equipment maintenance in support of combat search and rescue missions.
- Davis-Monthan HC-130 aerial cargo facility: $10.7 million – Will provide space to process, maintain and store HC-130J aerial cargo for combat search and rescue assets. The facility will house the aerial cargo mission that provides palletting and crating of equipment.
- Davis-Monthan HC-130J parts store: $8.2 million – Will provide space to maintain and store parts and assemblies necessary to maintain the HC-130J aircraft. The facility will house maintenance, repair and new parts functions.
- Fort Huachuca Reaper Launch and Recovery hanger: $11 million – Will provide a hanger and maintenance shops for the Arizona Air National Guard’s 214th Recon Group. The facility will support a Predator unit mission of four unmanned aerial systems scheduled to arrive in 2010. Will include hangar space configured to adapt to multiple aircraft types and maintenance shops as well as communications equipment and video-link capabilities.
- Air National Guard, Davis-Monthan Predator facility: $4.65 million – Will expand existing facilities for an Active Duty Associate wing to be based alongside the Arizona Air National Guard’s 214th Recon Group in Tucson at D-M. This effort is designed to fully integrate the Air Guard with the Active Duty Air Force, expanding significantly its capabilities and footprint.